U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,507 issued in 1970 to Joseph A. GENTILUOMO discloses a device for repeatedly setting in automatic fashion a golf ball 21 in position over a ground surface 42, thus relieving the golfer from the task of repeatedly bending over to position a ball supporting tee after each ball stroke with a golf club. A golf ball is brought over a tee member automatically under gravity-borne forces, along inclined track 12. A flexible push-pull member 26 is endwisely anchored to the tee member 22. The push member 26 moves the tee member 22 and overlying golf ball 21 along a vertical axis, through an aperture 43 made in the overlying ground surface 42. At its upper limit position, the elastomeric tee member 22 projects upwardly beyond the horizontal plane of the ground surface, through the aperture 43. As the golfer strikes the ball, the tee 22 will usually swing violently against the edge of the aperture 43 in the ground surface, thus laterally shearing the tee member 22. Eventually, the tee member will become sufficiently damaged to require servicing. This will occur at regular, relatively short intervals.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,275 issued in 1938 to Meierjohan, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,282 issued in 1938 to Beckett, both teach means for step-feeding a series of golf ball, one at a time, to a loading chamber, where a tee member will reciprocate vertically. This step-feeding of the balls occurs through an inclined chute, whereby the balls are fed to the loading chamber under gravity-borne forces. Two gates are provided transversely of the inclined chute at a lengthwisely spaced interval. The first gate, proximal to the loading chamber, constitutes a releasable abutment stop for the lead ball, while the second gate, distal to the loading chamber, constitutes a releasable abutment stop for the ball following the lead ball. With the second gate closed, the first gate is opened, to allow the lead ball to fall into the loading chamber, and then the latter gate is closed; the second gate is then opened, to allow the next ball to take the place of the lead ball and come to abut against the first gate.